Hot Rod has played basketball practically his whole life. But for him, the game is secondary to music, as the 50 Cent-signed artist has his new album set for release this fall. With his single “Dance With Me” going viral, I had the chance to speak with Hot Rod on the latest in basketball and his music.

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Dime:How long have you been a basketball fan?Hot Rod: I’m a die-hard fan of Michael Jordan. And I kind of transferred my love to Kobe Bryant.

Dime:So are you a Laker fan or just a Kobe fan?Hot Rod: Yeah I’m a Laker fan. Through Kobe. So you can call me a Laker fan.

Dime:Did you ever play basketball?Hot Rod: I played in high school. I played all four years. I still play every once in a while.

Dime:Is there a memory that stands out in your mind from your playing days?Hot Rod: Me and a couple of my buddies, I was a junior or senior in high school and we won Hoop It Up, 3-on-3, the tournament. It was held in Sacramento, California. That was probably the one moment that I do remember of my basketball days.

Dime:What are your thoughts on this past season, including LeBron and the Big Three?Hot Rod: I’m kind of like everyone else. Kind of lost a little bit of utter respect for LeBron, for him not staying with Cleveland. That was his team. He just jumped ship and went to Miami just to try to win the championship. I think it was a bad look, the fact that they weren’t able to complete the mission. I know there’s a lot of heat on them, no pun intended. But you can tell that it’s Dwyane Wade‘s team. You see the intensity, you see the courage that Wade has and it’s like LeBron just kind of falls back, you know, when it came to crunch time. I think he’s gonna win a couple championships before he retires. But his legacy just really took a hit when he left Cleveland. I said when he actually went over there to the Heat he became Scottie Pippen, when he was Jordan of the Cavaliers. He kind of got demoted, you know, when he made that move.

Dime:What are your thoughts on the lockout?Hot Rod: I’m just trying to keep up on it. It’s kind of frustrating, of course, with the whole lockout situation. I’m not really sure where they’re at in negotiations. But it is kind of frustrating with that lockout, with the NFL lockout. It’s like all these millionaires and billionaires arguing over money. It’s just crazy. I know a lot of fans are gonna be real sad. I’m definitely one of them, because basketball season is a big part of my life as far as entertainment, you know, just hanging out with my boys and chilling and things like that so it is real frustrating. Hopefully they do get the season rolling.